This past Monday marked the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice. The Internet was full of articles talking about how beloved the book still is. Radio and television celebrated with features about how the book has been adapted into everything from modern day romances (such as Bridget Jones's Diary) to a book about a zombie apocalypse (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies).
Over here at TWS, we marked the anniversary with a look back at our stage production of the beloved story (you can find plenty of production photos here), and a little self-reflection.
After all, TWS is no spring chicken. Pride and Prejudice has us beat in terms of age, but we'll mark the start of our 85th season this fall. Isn't that amazing? The Theatre of Western Springs was founded right around the time of the stock crash of 1929, we carried on through the Great Depression, several wars, and the deaths of Presidents. We were here before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, before the Civil Rights Movement, and (gasp!) before the Internet.
We've survived a lot of changes in the world and a lot of changes in our theatre, but one thing won't ever change--our desire to be a meaningful cultural resource in our community. Whether we're a source of entertainment, education, or support to local artists, we plan to stick around for all of the changes yet to come. If Pride and Prejudice has held up through the years, so can we!
For more information about the Theatre of Western Springs, visit their website at www.theatreofwesternsprings.com
